blog.greggman.com

2016-04-23

So a friend is trying to rent her apartment out while she's on vacation for the
last 2 weeks in June. Her place is behind Kabukicho, nearest station is Shin
Okubo.

I don't usually look over there because I'd rather stay in other places but I
checked just for the hell of it ...

I put in $70−$80 a night, June 15−30, entire place. Airbnb claimed
300+ places still available and that those were among the 17% left. That means
just in that $10 span of price range there are over 1800 apartments available.
And, that was limited to the area between Shinjuku station, the Yamanote line,
Okubo Dori, and Meiji Dori. That makes it seem like practically all of Shinjuku
is being rented on Airbnb

2016-03-15

I've rented about 22 places in the last 3 years. I think a couple were not
AirBnB. I haven't written a bad review yet even though given the rant linked
above you'd expect I would have.

But, this last place I finally wrote a bad review. Maybe it was all the pent up
rage of all the previous places. Maybe it was the particular response from this
landlord. In any case I left a bad review. I can only hope that's incentive for
the guy to do better.

2016-03-09

But, of course lawyers get involved and now they want to send me a licensing
form for me to sign. It doesn't say anything particularly bad, it's just half
the point of CC−BY is "you don't need to ask because there's an official
license".

I get they want to make sure it's not a stolen image and get an actual
signature. It's more that printing out the form, which will cost a few cents
and my time to find a printer or put the form on a USB and walk to the library.
Then sign it. Then find a scanner and scan it or take a picture with my phone.
Then send it back. Is just more than I want to do really. Given they're not
paying me why do I want to spent even 15 minutes dealing with his form?

Even if I just photoshop my signature in it's still more work than I really
want to deal with. On top of which the one scary part is if they get sued about
the pic then they'll pass that on to me. It's a nothing special picture of some
statues on the Louvre so I have no idea what those rules are.

2016-02-19

I'm an ex−Mormon and this episode really resonated in a lot of ways. In
particular I guess personally, even though I'm now 100% atheist I've defended
the Mormon church in the past. I guess I would say as an atheist I believe all
churches and all religions are wrong and so I've defended the Mormon church has
being no different than any other church. By defending I mean when someone
makes fun of the Mormon church for whatever (believing the nearest planet to
God's residence is the planet Kolab) I point out how that is no more a strange
belief than any other religion's beliefs (God lives in some alternate dimension
we can't see until we die).

What I find really fascinating though is that people can continue to want to
believe even AFTER accepting the evidence their church is founded on lies.
Religion isn't decided by committee by definition. If it was it would no longer
be a religion. So for example, at least according to that podcast, some people
asked for priesthood for women in the Mormon church or acceptance of LGBT.
Doing either of those makes the church no longer the church. It proves even
harder the church was never true to begin with.

Let me make it clear. I'm 100% pro LGBT and women's rights. That's not my point
and is one of the many reasons I'm atheist. My point is if a church has been
saying for for hundreds or thousands of years that X is evil because God says
so and then changes that to X is not evil they've just proven the previous
hundreds or thousands of years were bullshit. At that point there's no reason
for the church to exist. Everyone should just leave. If you want a social club
with emotional support fine, organize one. But asking a church to change it's
stance makes zero sense. If you succeed you've just proven your church is
false.

2016-01-14

I needed to book a flight from Singapore to Hong Kong. I checked and the prices
were pretty crazy.

$69 for Tiger (which is rated 1 out of 5 stars)
$105 for JetStar (rated like 1.5 out of 5 stars)
$520 for Singapore Airlines

That's it! There's no sliding scale. The 3rd option is 6x the first option!!!

I asked some friends what they would pick. Some said pick Singapore Air because
sucky travel experience ruins everything. Others said the flight is only 4hrs
so don't worry about a bad experience as it will be over quick.

I ended up going with Singapore Air mostly because they had a flight time that
fit my schedule. I needed to get into Hong Kong with plenty of time to get to
the city before it gets dark since I'm going to an AirBnB and not a hotel and
it will be harder to find. Too early and I'm stuck with my luggage for several
hours. I am cry about the cost but what−cha−gonna do.

Anyway, that's all beside the point.

The point is, as I was flying from Tokyo to Singapore (different flight) on
Singapore Airlines the headphones they gave me were broken. I checked a couple
of things and was able to mostly conclude the problem was the headphones, not
the entertainment system.

But, ... While I was doing that it got me thinking. Because there's a lower
price option I start to feel entitled to better service. If I fly from SG to HK
for $520 and something is broken or service is bad I'm likely going to be
extremely upset that I paid 6x the price of the cheap airlines and didn't get
flawless service.

Before super cheap airlines when the diff was say 10% it wouldn't have been a
big deal but now ....?

No idea if that will have any real pressure or not on non super budget airlines.

2015-09-28

2015-09-02

I recently stayed at an apartment which you can see from the picture is a
pretty nice looking apartment

It's got the fancy show nothing cabinets that hide everything

It feels a little like living in some future sci−fi apartment from
Logan's Run or the Jetsons.

But ... after the initial "wow, cool" factor wears off I soon realized whoever
designed this stuff really wasn't qualified to design it. I suppose I'm being
harsh but gees, so many things are poorly thought out.

2015-06-16

I can't &ast;&ast;cking decide where to go/be. I feel so stupid to have this
freedom and so unable to use it effectively. I'm in Singapore at the moment. In
6 days I'm homeless again meaning I have no place to stay unless I make plans
and pick a place!

I've thought about doing a vacation place like visiting Bali for a week. What
will give me another week to decide yet again, where next. Going alone doesn't
sound that fun to me though I have a friend that's done it. Could waste time in
Australia or go back to Europe for a couple of months just to do it but it
feels like I'd just be putting off deciding rather than doing something fun or
constructive.

So where to actually plant some roots?

Los Angeles:

I spent 8 months last year back in LA. The first time I'd spent any long time
there since 2000. It's big and sprawling. To visit friends I often had to
drive 40−70 minutes. I found I hated driving in LA as well. It was super
stressful.

Only good place to live IMO is west side near ocean but LA felt really lonely.
No places to get work done. Every cafe was either full or I had to give up my
seat in 2 hours to use the restroom. I didn't feel welcome at most places. Not
really sure what that means. Maybe the fact that service workers in the USA all
seem to hate their job and their customers. Compare to Japanese service
workers. They may or may not hate their jobs, I have no idea, but they
certainly don't let that on most of the time and always do their best to
actually provide real service.

I could pick some neighborhood and get an office though that would be lonely as
well. Maybe more likely to find collaborators though. There's a large indie
game community in LA as well as a large art community.

Everything closes by 9:30. Want something to eat after 9:30? Fast Food and
shitty American convenience stores is all there is. Compared to Tokyo I felt
like I was stuck at home after about 9pm.

The weather is awesome and there's some awesome friends there. My sister and
nephew are there as well and my mom for a couple of months a year.

LA now feels like a settle down place as in if I had a wife and kids and lived
in some suburb where my life was play with my kids in the yard it would not be
bad.

Could live on the east side where all the Asian food is and there's a few tea
houses that are open late but I always feel hated by American Asians. Not my
friends of course but just in general.

I tried downtown. It also felt isolating and lonely. Stepping outside seemed
scary. Grocery stores seemed far. Again compared to Tokyo where most of the
places I've stayed in the last couple of years there's been 3 to 6 24 hour
convenience stores with actually good food open 24 hours usually less than
1−3 minutes away by walking. LA has some 24 hour grocery stores but they
really aren't the place to grab a snack. The prepared foods at a 24hr Safeway
are pretty horrible. Whole Foods or Trader Joes might be better but they close
at 10.

San Francisco:

I have a few friends there but something about those friends so far has not
been very inspiring. Sorry, that sounds horrible. Those friends are awesome,
amazing and talented but for whatever reason I'm not inspired to be
entrepreneurial by them so much. I only say that in comparison to a few friends
in LA, Kyoto, and Tokyo. Like I feel like hanging out there is settling for a
certain kind of lifestyle which is basically exist and then hang out with
friends in a kind of rut like way. I suppose that ends up the same anywhere
though. You get a few favorite places and just go there over and over.

SF also has the 2hr cafe problem and not enough of them. The one bright spot is
the Workshop Cafe but it's full often as are many others.

SF is probably really expensive. People say a 600 sq ft apartment for 1 is now
around $3000 a month!

Public transportation exists but it feels like ass. Scary people doing scary
things. Last time I was a there a group of kids in the back were tearing down
the ads on the bus. Ripping up the ads, pulling down the plastic dividers and
hitting each other with them. Then getting out their markers and writing on the
windows and seats. To a lot of Americans that sounds almost normal and like a
rite of passage but having lived in safer places where people actually value
the shared public interest it's actually a very poor reflection on Americans
and is one of those reasons that makes me not like my country.

Tokyo:

I don't like Japanese women. Haha. Actually to put it slightly more objectively
if I go on say OkCupid the percent it claims I match based on the answers to
questions goes way way WAY down. Like from lots of women in the 80−99%
range when in the USA to most women being in the 30−60% range. Of course
that might mean absolutely nothing and there are certainly some amazing
Japanese women I've met. Rather it's just some small evidence that I'm less
likely to meet someone I'm truly compatible with there. Or at least it feels
that way. On the other hand I get more attention so maybe that's means the odds
increase in general since I get zero attention anywhere in the USA.

Another thing about Tokyo or Japan in general is applying for a visa will be a
PITA. I'll need to start a company. Which also brings up the number of
potential partners and/or employees would seem to be way smaller. The
stereotype is that most Japanese want a stable job at a large company. There's
foreigners there but certainly the number of potential candidates is much much
smaller than anywhere in the US.

On the plus side I love the late night in Tokyo. I can walk down many streets
in Tokyo at 3am on a Monday night and see restaurants and bars busy with people
having fun times and conversations. Where else does that happen? No where in LA
or SF. Maybe NYC? Although, my impression is that's a very different scene.

There's nice, friendly, and safe Starbucks open till 4am. There's
co−working spaces that are 1/2 to 1/3rd the price of anything in LA or SF
or SG.

And I have lots of friends there. Or at least enough that I feel like I get to
see people socially 2 or 3 times a week which is more than LA or SF. As soon as
I think that though I then think "Well I can make friends anywhere. I just have
to make it happen" and so I shouldn't pick Tokyo for that reason.

Kyoto:

I've spent about 4 weeks total in Kyoto as a non−tourist. Meaning those 4
weeks I wasn't visiting temples which is the only thing I'd done the previous 5
or 6 times I'd been to Kyoto.

Kyoto isn't that small of a city. 1.5 million people is bigger than Copenhagen,
Amsterdam, Munich, Brussels, Milan, Stockholm, Prague. Technically it's bigger
than all but 6 cities in the USA including Dallas, San Jose, San Francisco.

But for whatever reason it feels really small. There's a core area that's only
a few blocks large where most stuff seems to center around. You can bike from
one side of the city to the other in 15−20 minutes. Less than SF. If
you're out late a cab ride is unlikely to be more than $10−$20.

There's a large group of foreign game devs mostly because there's 3 game
companies run by foreigners including Q−Games, Vitei, and 17bit. That
means there's a community that's easy to jump into.

At the same time Kyoto feels a little like a place to settle down with a family
more than a place to be as a single guy. I'd love to be settled down with a
family but so far that hasn't happened. I've clearly got some issues there.

Kyoto also seems much cheaper than Tokyo and Tokyo cheaper than SF or LA.

Singapore:

I've spent a few months in Singapore. I can't really say I know it that well.
My fiction is that it would be hard to find collaborators. Most people want
high paying jobs in finance or IT. Singapore doesn't have any reputation for
creatives whatsoever except maybe in architecture. I don't know if that has
anything to do with reality but it certainly feels that way to me just from
looking at what's on offer in stores, ads, campaigns etc...

It's also hot year round and everyone is fat. I'm not complaining about fat
people only that I can see myself getting fat because the heat means I won't
want to ever walk or go outside and the ubiquity of easy food literally EVERY
seems like it would be no time before I'd gained 30lbs.

Singapore also seems boring in some ways. I've had some great time there but it
really feels like all their is is shopping and eating.

Women wise my impression is I'd be more likely to meet someone there. Then of
course I'd probably be stuck in SG. Maybe that would be ok though with an SO.

NYC:

I've never lived there and only visited twice a week at a time. I like that
there's public transportation and the busyness of megatropolis like Tokyo but
it doesn't feel safe. Riding the subway in NYC is often depressing and scary.
(same in SF actually). At least compared to SG or Tokyo.

There does seem to be a lot going on there related to games and I have one
friend there and suspect I'd quickly make more.

The weather sounds like it sucks. Blizzards in the winter. Sweltering heat in
the summer.

I guess I'm mostly intrigued as just a new experience to live somewhere new. Of
course all my stereotypes also turn me away like I expect all the women want a
rich guy from wall street and that NYC will be super expensive. I'll need
roommates and won't be able to really experience the parts of the city that
make it so attractive.

Berlin:

I don't even know why this is on the list. I suppose I could add a bunch of
other European cities here including London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen.
I have no idea how I'd immigrate but I guess the excitement is just that they'd
be really new experiences. Berlin in particular is supposed to be reasonably
priced and I got a relatively good vibe while there. If I picked any of those
except London I'd have to learn a new language but that's a also a draw.

I feel like if I had a girlfriend and she was into any of these I'd totally do
it. I don't know why that feels more compelling than just going alone.

I met an American guy that lived in Kyoto for 12 years and his plan is to move
to Berlin. Not sure how that's relevant except as an anecdote that others are
excited about Berlin. I've heard lots of other people bring it up as one of the
places they are most fond of in Europe including lots of Europeans.

Other:

On top of all of that like I mentioned above about "I can make friends
anywhere". When I think how like the nightlife aspect of Tokyo and the
co−working spaces another, a more logical side thinks "Why do I care
about night life. It's not like I actually take advantage of it that often and
as I age or if I finally meet someone it's likely to become very unimportant".
Similarly with co−working spaces and cafes. Most likely I should rent an
office and once I do that cafes and co−working spaces have no meaning. Of
course my impression right now is even an office is cheaper and easier to rent
in Tokyo or Kyoto than LA or SF or NYC. No idea how easy it is in Europe. I'd
guess Berlin is easy and the rest hard.

One friend said "just pick a place and try it for a year" but like I said
previously I won't plant roots if I don't commit to a place.

Some people say "make a list". Well that list is above. It's not helping.

2015-05-23

There's probably a post exactly like this a few weeks or month from before but
hey, it's what's on my mind. I write this stuff more for myself to think out
loud although I'd love to hear wise and sage advice or opinions if you have
any.

I'm un−glued from a "normal" life (whatever that is). I'm not sure I
actually like it. I guess this is kind of called the "digital nomad" life
although my impression is digital nomads usually have work they have to do.

I have 2 big questions: Where should I live and what should I do. My friend
Chris said as for a place to live I should just pick some place, any place and
give it a year. If it sucks leave. Maybe that's good advice? I kind of feel
like picking a place is like getting married. I have to commit. Committing
means working on making it my place. Get house or apartment, start decorating,
nesting. Join clubs, sign up for classes, volunteer, make local friends.
Basically plant roots. If I don't plant roots I wouldn't really being
experiencing the place in a way that would make me want to stay. So, if I say
"just a year", in the back of my mind I won't plant any roots, it will all just
be temporary.

Right now I'm in Tokyo again. This time I've been here for 2 months. I'm in a
tiny apartment but it's one of the nicer places I've stayed. It's also the
cheapest place I've stayed in the last 2 years. Hotels are expensive, go on
Booking.com and see, the bottom level is hostels. The next level up is what
I've been shooting for. That's still $90−$150 at DAY!!!! OUCH!!! Yea, I'm
getting poor living this way. Another reason I need to rent an apartment.

I was in LA from July 2014 to Feb 2015. I'm from there but had not lived there
for 14 years. I forgot how good the weather is! I really liked hanging out with
my friends in Pasadena but I gotta say of all the places being alone Tokyo
seems best. There's lots of things I loved but as a single guy I didn't like
trying to find places to work (cafes, co−working spaces, etc...) and I
didn't really enjoy eating out alone (like what is there?) and it sucked that
the city closes at like 9pm. Here in Tokyo, especially where I'm living there's
hundreds of restaurants, bars, and even cafes I can visit at 3am.

I probably wouldn't care about that if I was on a project and/or had a
girlfriend or family. I'd have something to go to in the day (work, project)
and something to come home to at night (girlfriend, wife) but as it is I'm
single. I find that I run into far more friends in Tokyo than anywhere else. In
SF I have a ˜3 friends I see regularly but it's limited to about 4 hours
a week. That sucks. LA was similarly lonely. At the same time my logical self
reminds me that if I made the effort I could probably have a ton of friends no
matter where I am. I could start a meetup. I could invite people out. I could
host parties. Take classes. Go to meetups. etc... So, it seems irrational to
choose Tokyo for the reasons above. Especially if I finally find a girlfriend
and/or a project most of those advantages will disappear.

My point being, I can't figure out a criteria for choosing which place is
best.

Then there's projects. I've basically spent a year working on HappyFunTimes.
It's doesn't look like it I'm sure but it's a gawd damn full time job. There
are days I've spent 14 hours straight trying to get shit done for it. It's
getting harder and harder as well. As I add more platforms and options testing
them all is becoming impossible. I can try to set up more automated testing,
that alone would probably take several weeks of full time work. It's
complicated by the fact that HappyFunTimes is made from several parts. So for
example I need to test if the app can be installed and runs in Windows and OSX
and that every feature works. Since Windows and OSX use different path formats
it's possible I broke something on one if I don't test.

I also need to test iOS and Android. Testing those means setting up temp
servers. Each one of those platforms would take several days to get a testing
infrustructure setup and most testing infrustructures assume a single app that
only works locally. Not an app that connects both to a local server and a
remote server. Anyway, I'm just whining I guess. My point is HappyFunTimes has
been a fulltime job and while I'd like to see it become a popular library
there's no plan to make money from it.